


Withered Rose

by JustAnotherEgirl



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Gen, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, POV First Person, Short Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:08:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28862313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAnotherEgirl/pseuds/JustAnotherEgirl
Summary: This story is fan fiction based on the game Minecraft. It’s an Alternate Universe [AU] story. I did not come up with the idea of The End world and all the creatures related to it but I brought an alternate universe [AU] of Royals. Royals being creatures that can shift into the End Dragon; The End’s final boss. The End is a void filled world with a floating island blank of life. I brought the idea of more magic being in the End that held the world together above the void. This game is a sandbox game with no real written lore besides the credits, which are also very cryptic. I hope you enjoy it.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	Withered Rose

My consciousness slowly came back which only brought in waves of pain. Everything was in pain: my eyes, my arms, and my head. My eyes burned as I struggled to open them. Nothing was what I saw. Darkness surrounded me. After a brief moment of confusion, then I realized. 

I was in the void. I felt the wind slide by me as I endlessly fell. Rumored to be one of the worst ways to die.  _ This sucks, _ is all I thought as tears welled in my eyes. 

Pain in my right eye brought my hand to touch it. I can't see anything but I can feel that it's wet.  _ Tears? _ I thought as my mind worked through my scattered memories. But the smell of copper disagreed. As I felt my eye I felt deep cuts run over it.  _ Right, _ I remembered. 

My brother did this. He pushed me into the void. After I saved him from this very fate. My hands clenched painfully tight. I’m beyond pissed. Purple flames slipped through my fingers lighting up my arms. My hands and arms were covered with purple scars. Zennith did this to me right before he threw me. He took control of The End’s magic after we agreed to share it. He wanted it for himself and used it against me. Always traitor with him. 

I knew not to trust him. He only got the conniving dragon bastard from his part of the egg. While I got glowing eyes due to my use of magic. But Zennith only got jealous about that, though he had actual wings. Royals are meant to give birth to one child at a time. More than one can cause power splits.

My flames fizzled out as the thoughts of revenge faded.  _ I’m going to die here anyway, _ my thoughts calmed me from my anger. But the feeling of dread filled me. My nose burned as I began to cry. I always feared the void in The End. You could never escape it and now being trapped in it only brought panic.  _ This is the end. _

I must’ve passed out because visions of The End appeared before me and my last moments there. Zennith held my hands tightly as he hung me over the void. The End’s magic slipped over him like a vale. His eyes sparked with light as he glared at me. I saw the magic flickered in him, he doesn't have control. 

“Zennith please,” I whispered in pain as his magic burned my arms.

“Nadirie,” He spoke sourly as he stroked the flames. He laughed at my scream of pain. He loosened his grip, forced me to grab onto his arms to keep from falling. My palms felt like they were melting as he spoke. “Give up your magic Nadirie,” he growled as his eyes flickered brightly. 

“No,” I let out a breathless whisper and he yelled in rage. He ripped his hand away and swiped at me with his claws. His claws smashing into my faces causing me to rip away from him. And I began to fall.

My eyes shot open only to quickly cover them from the godly bright light. I peaked to see the sky around me was blue. I looked to the bright light in the sky.  _ This is strange, _ I thought. The End sky is a dark void not blue.  _ Where am I? _ thought as I turned to see what lied below me. 

The air in my lungs left in a flash as I saw green land below me quickly approaching. My nerves spasmed causing me to flash teleport in the sky trying to slow my descent.  _ This is going to hurt, _ was the only thought I had as I turned away from the colorful ground.

The area shook from the impact. A strained groan came from my lungs. I opened my eyes to see the tall wooden giants around me that held bundles of green mesh. A quiet thump next to me caused me to glance over. A small fluffy creature sat near a green mesh. Its ears were long and its black eyes stared at me. Was it trying to intimidate me? It took a bite out of a colorful wither rose which caused me to panic. Wither roses would drain you of life but this creature just kept eating it. The flower was red, not black like other wither roses.  _ Is it not a wither rose? _ I thought. 

A voice that called out caused me to sit up quickly. Pain ran down my back as I stared in the direction of the voice. I watched as a man came out of the green mesh. He seemed worried and when he spotted me he seemed relieved. 

“You alright?” the man asked as he knelt down next to me. His skin was tanned and the clothing he wore was… well, it was something. I stared at him still unsure about trusting anyone. He wore iron armor and a sword hitched to his side untouched. He looked up at the tall wooden giants around us. 

“That was quite a fall. heard it from a bit away, you broke the branch off the tree you were on,” He rambled to himself before he turned back to me. “what’s your name?” he asked as he held his hand out. I slowly scooted away from his hand. “Ah sorry,” the man spoke up and reached into his backpack. 

“My name’s Karl,” he greeted and held out a health potion to me. The redness and rising bubbles reassured me that it was a health potion. My mother taught me some alchemy. I stared at the man for a moment. His brown eyes softened as he stayed close to the ground. I carefully snatched the potion from him before scooting away. I drank it fast.  _ It’s going to kill me or my wounds will kill me later, _ I thought. I glanced at the red rose as his question was still in my head. 

“Rose,” I finally spoke up. “My name is Rose,” I said again looking at the man. He only gave me a warm smile which felt very welcoming but I held a pang of immediate guilt. My name is Nadirie. I’m not going to tell a random man my name no matter how kind he is. I don’t even know where I am. 

The man’s gasp pulled me from my thoughts. He grabbed my arms and held me close and still. “Don’t look,” he whispered. I looked up to see what he was watching. It was an Enderman. The Enderman turned towards us. His tall pitch-black skin voided the area around him as he stood there. His purple eyes looked into mine before he made a scared noise and teleported away. The man released me with a sigh of relief. 

“Endermen give me the creeps,” he said as he got up. “Them and their aggressive  scopophobia,”  He rambled as he held a hand out to me. I took it to pull myself up. My hands still tingled from the burns. “Some wounds you got there,” He said before continuing, “wanna go to the village and get fixed up?” He asked.

“Uh,” I looked at my arms before finishing my thoughts. “Sure,” I agreed.

“Great follow me the forest is a bit dense so don’t get lost!” He warned as he led me out of the forest. The walk wasn't long and it gave me time to ask about the surroundings. The End didn’t have these plants or really anything besides yellow-tinted rock. This is a nice change. However, my questions gave him the impression that I was suffering from amnesia. Honestly, that was for the better.

As we entered the village I noticed how easily destructible the buildings were. The wooden structures were so small and nice looking. For homes made without magic, they aren't that bad. The buildings gave off an aura of warmth that my old home never gave off. This place seemed like it could fall apart from one attack. 

The sky above was turning grey and the smell in the air was changing. I assumed it was nothing due to everyone else's normal attitudes. As I followed behind the man a woman noticed me. Her face was full of shock and then worry. 

"Are you okay?" She asked as she followed beside me.

"Yes?" I answered hesitantly. She took my hands, stopping us from following the man. 

"These look awfully painful," she said as she examined my arms.

"Did someone do this to you?" she spoke softly as questioned. She looked up at me then at the man behind me her eyes narrowed.

"Uh-" I stumbled still lagging from the sudden physical contact. "Oh no no, I burnt myself," I lied as I realized what she was asking. "I'm okay," I stumbled on my words. 

“You know that man is no good right?” She said, pulling me closer as Karl turned to see me with the women. The face he made was an immediate grimace. “He's with the king's guard,” she continued, “He’s been snooping around this town cause of earthquakes.” 

“Kai, stop feeding false information to the amnesiac,” He said, taking my arm. 

“I’m not! You and your men have nothing but pests,” she argued back. “Digging up holes everywhere!” She said before pointing to a hole off in a closed-off alley. Being stuck in the middle of an argument is a normal spot for me. 

As they argued, I saw a small spot of liquid land on Kai’s hand that held mine. I watched as the liquid slowly slid down her hand as another drop fell onto her arm. Then a drop fell onto my arm. It burned. I let out a quiet yelp before ripping my arms from both of them. Quickly whipping off the liquid. Before the two could ask another drop fell onto my arm then another and another. It hurt like hell. I frantically waved my arms as Kai grabbed me, pulling me under shelter. They’ve been calling me this whole time but I must've blanked them out. 

“It’s the rain idiot. It's hurting her scars,” Kai chastised Karl. Kai suddenly pulled out two leather gloves and handed them to me. I whispered a quiet thank you before sliding them on. They were much longer than I expected going up nearly to my shoulders. They covered the scars though. Kai quickly took another piece of clothing off the stand and threw it over me. It was a thick white cloak covering my upper body.

"Hey we gotta get going if we wanna beat the real storm," he said as he balanced on his heels.

"Yeah yeah," the lady said, waving him off like nothing. "Hey I'm Kai, and come back here tomorrow and I'll get you some new clothes alright?" She said as she pulled up the cloak’s hood.

"Okay," I said with a smile. "Oh I’m Rose, I'll see you later," I quickly said before following Karl again.

The town was loud and buzzing with people walking around and trading. And I even noticed a small human with a stuffed long-eared creature. She was playing in the rain. "Cute," I said out loud before mentally slapping myself. Karl turned around and saw the girl and smiled.

"That's Dina and her rabbit Hops," he said as he opened a door to a building for me. I nodded understanding then walked in. 

It was warm inside and the smell was refreshing. As we walked through the building. People paid no notice to us as they joked and laughed. I’ve never seen such happiness. Royals usually keep quiet and to themselves. 

Karl talked to a lady behind a counter before guiding upsides to a room. The room was small yet very cozy. As I wandered in looking around. I saw the bed and it was covered in fluffy materials. I suddenly feel very tired.

Karl handed me another potion. Its pink nature assured me it was regeneration. 

“I’ll let you have this room to yourself, alright?” He tried to find reassurance from the thought as an amnesiac. I drank the potion and nodded to him.

“I’ll be okay,” I said before shifting between my heels. “And thank you,” I whispered, turning away. Royals didn’t thank anyone besides their immediate family. But right now I feel like I'm in a place where immediate gratitude is needed. I wasn’t watching but I could feel his smile beam with happiness. Then I heard the soft click of the door and his footsteps fading.

_ This is weird. Definitely a different world. I wonder where The End is. Will I ever go back? _ I thought about taking a movement to reflect. 

I looked out the window to watch the people below wander the crowded streets.  _ I like this place, I wanna stay here, _ I decided for myself. However, old problems seemed to shore up. My arms burned pulling my attention to them. 

I wandered into the bathroom to see myself for the first time in a while. The cloak and gloves kept me hidden with fabrics. I peeled them away and hanged them on a hook. 

My long black hair was still straight but a new set of bangs hung in my face. It must’ve been cut when my brother clawed my eye. The thought of my right eye caused me to slide the hair out of the way. That is when I saw the real damage done. 

Deep claw marks that sliced over my eye stained the skin with purple. The white of my eye had been tinted purple and the slash through it looked painful. I held my head and the sudden shock kicked in. I should be in pain but the potions are keeping me numb. My nerves spasmed. With that, I suddenly teleported in multiple flashes around the room. I was standing back at the window.  _ What the, _ I thought looking back at the bathroom. 

The drawback with teleporting is you need to see where you want to teleport. But I just teleported multiple times with no real sight or focus on the matter.  _ That's not good, _ I bit my nail softly as I thought of what trouble this could cause.  _ It happened when I was nervous I should try to keep calm, _ I thought with a seemingly simple goal. 

Then the ground shook. I let out a panicked noise as I quickly hopped onto the bed.  _ The ground was falling and we were falling into the void again, _ I panicked, huddling myself with the blankets. 

When the shaking stopped Karl quickly came in. With bowls in hand and a worried face.

“You alright?” He asked as he rushed over to me. 

“What was that?” I asked from the safety of blankets. 

“An earthquake,” He answered quickly. “Not too scary?” He asked as he walked over holding out a bowl of liquid. I hesitantly took it.

“Not that bad,” I answered as I looked into the bowl. His laughter told me I was caught in my lie. I looked up at him angry as I struggled not to smile.

“That’s some chicken stew,” he said after he managed to suppress his contagious laughter. I looked at the bowl before lifting the spoon. I looked at the liquid before quickly shoving it in my mouth. Hot. Good. But very hot. I opened my mouth as I huffed air out. Karl just watched and laughed.

_ This is nice, _ is all I thought as I ate the stew. 

It's been a while since I first stepped into this village. Karl has been super nice and helpful. And Kai has been heartwarming. She gave me a new outfit and an eye patch. The eye patch thing was weird. But they help me stick in with other people. I really enjoy it here. The people were always welcoming and always greeted me when I passed by. 

I even got a job to help around the town. This world is much softer than The End. If another Royal saw me they’d be shocked. Helping these lower beings, Royal ideals are very narcissistic. These humans are strong; they build all of this without magic.

As I stepped outside the Inn I heard screaming and people started to rush into buildings. I watched confused as people rushed past me whispering mentions of pillagers. Pillagers, I've heard about them but this is the first time they’ve attacked since I was here. 

Karl ran outside to me taking hold of my arm. “Hey get inside the pillagers are coming this way, alright?” He commanded me as he softly shoved me inside. I only gave him a small nod as I stood inside. “I got this alright?” He said holding up his iron sword. I watched from the crack of the door as he left in a hurry. 

_ I trust him to take care of the pillagers but, _ I thought as I looked at a hung gold sword on the wall.  _ I’ll make sure to return you, _ was the only thought before I was outside in the chaos.

The streets were empty, all the windows closed off. A distance scream pulled my attention to rush to an alley. I saw a lady being held with a cross-bolt to her neck. I sucked in air quietly as I approached silently from behind. I could hear her crying as I slipped behind the pillager. In a quick slash I stabbed through his chest the golden sword turned red. The girl let out a quiet scream as the body fell to the ground. 

“Thank you,” she whispered before running off to hide. I watched her to make sure she was safe before continuing through the alleys. 

_ Move, _ a voice whispered in my head as I suddenly teleported two steps away. I saw an arrow pierced into the wall I was next to. I turned to the direction the arrow was shot in to see a group of pillagers. They seemed panicked from the sudden movement. I took the opportunity. 

I teleported behind them, grabbing one from behind. I stabbed them in the back of the neck as the other three turned to face me. They shot their arrows at me only to hit the dying man. I teleported again stabbing another in the side. But they threw a hard punch into my eye before falling to the ground. I winced dropping my sword from the sudden attack. I closed my eyes as I backed away. I held my eye as I refocused on the two pillagers now charging me with axes. 

My arms burned. I held up my hand to them, purple magic already slipping between my fingers. In a flash, a purple flame consumed the two pillagers. Their screams were awfully loud as they fell to the floor. I took a breath before picking up the golden sword. As I stood back up I saw a figure watching me from a down alley. 

A rush of panic flowed through me; it wasn't a pillager. I immediately teleported up to the man grabbing him tightly. I paused seeing the man's face 

“Karl?” I said releasing him. He stepped back from me, which made me worried. 

“What was that?” he said, his voice tense. I looked at my hands to see the gloves ruined and burnt. 

“Magic,” I whispered, pulling my hands close to my chest. I haven't felt this feeling for a while now. I watched him grip the sword tightly. I held still as he slowly approached. He suddenly grabbed my arm tightly and my wounded eye was suddenly shocked with pain. I covered my eyes as my nerves felt like they were shell shocked. 

Then we teleported. The hollowed wind gave off a strange feeling. And the smell brought a strong sense of fight or flight. When I uncovered my eyes I saw Karl who looked to be in shock.

“The Stronghold,” he whispered before letting go of my arm. I looked around the so-called Stronghold; it was well built and all made of stone. The ground was covered in dust. “Come with me,” he said as he walked off down the hall like he knew something. I followed him to a room that held lava pools and a staircase. The top of the staircase held a portal. 

The portal matched the void of The End’s sky. The sight of The End sky pulled a pained whimper from me. Karl turned to me. “You defended the village,” He said, staring at me. I only managed to give him a nod before I glanced back over to the portal. “You’re from The End aren’t you?” he said again, grabbing my arm firmly. 

“Yes,” I stuttered out my arm shaking slightly. Karl's grip tightened before tugging me over the edge of the portal. I screamed in panic before I held my breath. He tilted me backwards, my heels barely balanced on the rim of the portal. I stared at him as memories flashed through my head. The sight changed to the memory of my brother when he held me over the void. I felt my eyes begin to burn and they welled with tears. “Please,” I mumbled as tears streamed down my face. 

Karl swallowed hard before pulling forward into a tight hug. “Shit,” He whispered to himself. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have,” I mumbled as his arms tighten. “I know you’re good, you're not like those,” he sucked in before finishing this thought, “creatures.” He loosed his grip to look at me. “I’m sorry, you don't have to forgive me,” He said before letting go of me. I stepped away, my footsteps silent. He watched me before looking back to the portal. 

“This is the thing the king sent me to find,” he explained. “The magic from The End has been escaping like it's being pushed out. If that makes sense,” he said as he turned to me. “We assume it's the dragon and he wants me and a team to kill it.” 

“You’ll die,” I whispered, immediately tightening my lip into a line.  _ Probably shouldn’t have said that, _ I thought as he looked at me, eyes widened and a worried smile. 

“Yeah?” He questioned.

“I know the dragon,” I said looking over at the portal. “He’s ruthless and was the one that pushed me into this world. He probably thinks I'm dead,” I explained, rubbing my scarred eye.

“Yeah, you looked pretty bad when I first found you,” He said, looking away when my head snapped to him. “I’ll need to tell the King about this,” He rambled to himself, my shoulders tensed. “Ah,” he realized my discomfort. “Not about you! You’re scary strong and definitely sent a lot of pillagers running today,” He exclaimed, trying to calm me. I nodded to him. I trusted him from what time I spent here. I know he cares about this town a lot. So do I. 

The next week was spent making battle plans and preparing for one hell of a fight. 

“Zennith is the name of the End Dragon?” Karl questioned, a bit confused that beasts like those have names. 

“Yes, he doesn't have a good hold on magic and will be reckless in battle,” I responded as I finished up a map of The End’s main island. “Okay now remember that The End is essentially the void so do not fall off the island,” I warned as the thought of the migraine I had from the fall gave me shivers. 

“Yeah I don't think I’ll survive a fall like that,” Karl spoke with a slight chuckle causing me to smirk. 

“Yeah, I don't think so either,” I said with a smile as he made a mockingly offended face. “Anyways though, The End magic that powers the dragon are held on 10 different pillars Two of which are caged and need to be broken through. The magic is extremely reactive so any slight touch will cause an explosion. My suggestion is using a bow and arrows to destroy them from a distance.” I spoke watching Karl write down notes to bring to his team.

I wasn’t going with them. The thought of going back to The End was not an option. After multiple meetings and preparation, it was time to go. Even still I would've been lying if I said I wasn't nervous.

I stood in the back of the stronghold portal room watching them meet before going in. Karl looked back at me before walking over.

“You’re going to protect the village while I’m gone?” He asked with a smile pulling a small smile from me. 

“You’ll be back before day with the equipment you got,” I said with a smile. Karl laughed then shook my shoulder.

“Be well friend,” He said with a smile before walking back to the portal.

“You too,” I mumbled through a seed of worry in my throat. I watched as the team of ten checked their gear. Then they stepped into the portal vanishing with a flash.

I stared at the portal for a long moment before I started to leave. I stopped in my tracks as my nerves tightened. I looked back at the portal as I saw it start to shake. The shaking became stronger as the room started to crumble around me. 

Then a large pitch black claw emerges from the portal only to slam into the rim digging its claws in. The skin steamed the air around it. The scales were tattered and slashes and arrows stuck into its skin.  _ Zennith is escaping _ , I thought as another set of claws emerged from the portal. It slammed down crimping the portal rim. The claws had a single iron sword buried deep into them. Slowly he pulled himself out; his horns were all I saw before panic set in. 

_ Move, _ the voice spoke again as I teleported away. I was in the forest. I looked towards the village now in the distance. Then there was an explosion. The clouds were mixes of purple black and white. My breathing was ragged and my mind raced with panic and worried thoughts. 

Then I saw a small figure falling from the sky.  _ A person, _ I thought as I immediately teleported without a second thought. I teleported up to them and grabbed them tightly before teleporting back down to the ground. Setting them down carefully. It was one of the knights that went to The End. 

A roar ranged out in the sky caused my head to snap up. My heart stopped as I saw the giant black mass fly in the sky. 

My brother. Fully powered from The End’s magic and in his dragon form. The knights, they lost in The End.  _ How, what happened, is Karl gone?  _ My thoughts raced. I looked up to the dragon in the sky. I watched him as he breathed fire on the village. I was terrified. I trembled from where I sat. Frozen as I watched him lay waste to the village. 

The village was on fire with purple flames and screaming was all I heard.  _ You’re just gonna watch? _ the voice spoke to me. “What can I do?” I asked as I sat there useless.  _ Stop him, _ the voice said before I suddenly teleported into the village. I made a panicked whimper as I got up to hide. But I froze at the sight of a lone toy rabbit on the ground. Mr. Hops laid slightly singed from the fire. I bit my lip hard, hard enough to draw blood.  _ My village, _ the voice spoke again, that's when I realized.  _ You’re dead, _ it was my voice that spoke to me.

I teleported up to the roof and looked up to the black mass fly in the sky. “Zennith!” I called out watching the dragon’s head snap towards me. The noise he made resembled a laugh. 

“Nadirie,” A mixed voice answered as he landed in front of me. I stared at him as he spoke. “I knew you weren’t dead, always a thorn in my side, huh?” He asked as he brought his head closer to me. Then he snapped at me, jaws almost grabbing me as I managed to teleport back. With a huff I quickly threw two fireballs; one hitting him in his face. He let out a pained growl before snapping back with purple flames. I teleported down and looked up to see him still distracted. And so I took my chance and sent two fireballs directly into his wings. He let out a pained screech before swiping his tail that sent me crashing into a building. 

As I lifted my head I saw a ball of purple flames coming at me and my nerve spasmed and I teleported. I landed on his back and held tightly as he quickly took off into the sky. “Get off,'' he growled as I held on tightly. I looked down to see the village in shambles. The Explosion made a massive crater that almost wiped out half of the village. The village was burning and buildings were caving and even worse I saw the bodies that littered the streets. 

My blood boiled as my arms lit up in flames. I grabbed tightly onto his wings and his cries fell on deaf ears. I burnt his wings in a fiery blaze as we fell to the ground. We crashed into a building. He quickly struggled out of the rumble. 

As consciousness came back to me I saw the returned gold sword from the Inn still hung on the broken wall I laid on. I grabbed the sword and held it tightly. As I struggled myself up. My back was made a painful crunch as I got up. I teleported outside the building to see my brother on the ground. His wings were melted and his snarls were monstrous. My brother was always a monster.

When he noticed me he let out a loud roar and charged me. I held my ground. As he swiped his claws at me I vanished. I teleported 40 feet above him. And was falling very fast back down with a sword in hand. I held the sword tightly as I angled it right for his head. 

A sudden rageful scream erupted from my throat. He tilted his head up to see my sword sink into his skull. His scales suddenly began to flake as purple light shined through the gaps of his scales. He started to float and inflate like he was going to explode. I slid and watched from below. His body broke into shambles of scales, his body pouring purple light. And in a flash, he vanished. Only purple lights softly fell from the sky.

I noticed the purple flakes slowly start to connect into clumps. The End’s magic was saving his soul.  _ I didn’t think he had one, _ I thought as I watched the purple ball form. Then the ball flew at me knocking me to the ground. It sank into my chest forcing out air. I gasped in holding my chest as I felt the sharpness stab my chest. I looked down to see claws in place of my hands. I stared in shock as they slowly shifted back to my normal hands.  _ Guess I can finally shift, _ I thought with a blank face. I looked up to see the village now in ruins and ashes and it was awfully silent.

As I walked through the village I picked up the toy rabbit on my way out. There is nothing left, all the roses have withered away. So there was no reason to stay. 


End file.
